Jello
by Vietta
Summary: Rude visits Reno in the hospital and they have a strange conversation.


Rude resisted the overwhelming urge to wrinkle his face in disgust as he entered the hospital; the stench of stale bedpans and death making his eyes water behind his always present sunglasses. He walked through the hospital halls, tentatively peeking though doorways as he passed in search of a familiar face. He knew Reno was probably still asleep, the powerful drugs he had been given to combat the pain of his injuries had left him slightly comatose.

Rude sighed as he finally found Reno, his bandaged head speckled with red that wasn't the hair Rude was used to seeing. He took his usual spot beside Reno's bed in a horribly uncomfortable chair, picking up a well used and very outdated magazine as he waited for Reno to have a moment or more of lucidity.

Rude soon exhausted the crinkled magazine of any entertainment value, all its contents ridiculously outdated. He set it to the side, cursing himself for not remembering to bring a new one. He forgot every time he came to visit Reno and he doubted he would ever remember.

Rude watched Reno's rather uneven breathing intently, listening to the steady beeps and whirs of the machines keeping him alive as they recorded just how dead he would be without them. It was almost as if they were mocking the man they were attached to, laughing at his careless disregard for life and limb.

Reno had only barely made it out of Sector Seven before the plate dropped. He should have hopped on the helicopter with Tseng, but he was too damned cocky to follow orders and had tried to get away on foot. He had thought that he would be safe once he reached Sector Six, but as usual he thought wrong. While he had been able to make it out from under the plate, he hadn't been able to make it out from under the debris falling from the plate. He hadn't been completely buried when Rude found him, but what wasn't buried was in no better shape than what was buried.

Rude shuddered as the image of Reno's crumbled and bleeding body swam behind his eyes, every rock, pebble, and spark from his weakly crackling EMR vivid in detail.

Reno was still in poor shape even after all of the medical attention he had received. Rude gently picked up a hand porcupined with IV needles, careful not to dislodge and on the fluid filled drips. Reno's skin was pale and cold, the pulse beating in his wrist just barely strong enough to force blood through his body. Rude stroked his thumb across the back of Reno's hand gently, the needles under his seemingly paper-thin skin shifting slightly.

Reno stirred lightly at Rude's touch, his eyes shifting groggily behind half-closed lids that struggled to open fully. He groaned softy and squeezed them shut, shielding his aqua orbs from the glaring fluorescent lights.

Rude held Reno's hand gently, a relieved sigh breaking the noise filled silence. "Reno?"

Reno's eyes flashed open and he whipped his bandage covered head to the side so fast Rude felt his own neck twinge with discomfort. "Rude?"

Rude smiled weakly, unable to express his relief at seeing Reno awake properly. "How are you feeling?"

Reno grinned and squeezed Rude's hand weakly. "They gave me some really good drugs Rude."

Rude chuckled sadly, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. He was so relieved to see Reno awake, but so afraid that he wouldn't ever see it again. "So I heard."

Reno pouted and wrinkled his nose. "The food sucks."

Rude smiled and laughed, "Like a cheap whore or a vacuum cleaner?" unable to resist repeating one of Reno's favorite phrases.

Reno beamed and sniggered. "Cheap whore." He laughed and then suddenly his face changed. His hand tightened around Rude's and his voice became grave and serious. "They have really good Jello Rude."

Rude raised an eyebrow, somewhat thrown off by Reno's serious gaze. "Jello?"

Reno nodded vigorously, the bandages on his head hanging on for dear life as Reno's momentum threatened to part them from his skull. "Jello. I like Jello Rude. I like Jello a lot. Its good. If we're ever in the hospital together will you give me your Jello?"

Rude blinked and nodded tentatively, unsure how he was supposed to respond.

Reno lay back in his bed and squeezed Rude's hand, clutching it tightly as he struggled to stay awake. "You're a good pal Rude."

Rude smiled sadly as Reno's eyelids fluttered, the medication he had managed to fight off for a few moments fighting back with more force.

Reno frowned and turned his face to Rude, his fluttering eyes serious once more. "If I can't chew, do you think they'd mush your Jello up and put it in my IV?"

Rude fought the urge to laugh, holding Reno's hand tightly. "If they don't I will."

Reno smiled and let his eyes close, yawning softly. "You're a good pal Rude.

Rude smiled sadly and clutched Reno's hand tightly as it went limp. He watched as Reno's eyes closed shakily, wondering if the next time he saw them open would be when death had released Reno's hold over them.

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Author's Note: This was supposed to be a funny story since it's based off a funny conversation I had with my buddy Savannah, but it's so sad… Not sure what happened there. Maybe Rude was just feeling depressive today.

Let me know if you catch any grammatical errors, I wrote this between classes and my brain was a little fried.


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